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COMMENTS ON STATISTICS
Population
The Registrar General's mid-year estimate of population for 1960 is
41,550, an increase of 190 on the previous year and of 330 on 1959.
This slight increase of population year by year is due to natural
causes. The number of persons per house 3.32 is a slight decrease
on 1959. This figure has not varied greatly in the last few years.
Births
The number of live births has decreased by 14 as compared with
1959. The birth rate for the district has been lower than the average
for the last two years and is well below the five year average. In
comparison with the rest of England and Wales the difference is considerable.
There does seem to be a tendency for the birth rate of the
district to decrease.
The number of illegitimate births is less than in 1959 and is considerably
lower than the average for the last ten years which is 18-5 but
during that period it has fluctuated between 9 and 35.
Mortality
The death rate for the year is less than for 1959 by .68 and is lower
than the average for seven years which is 10.30. The method of
calculating the death rate was changed in 1953 and figures prior to
that date cannot be compared with the following years.
The deaths of infants under one year per 1,000 live births is 20.6.
In 1959 this figure was 43.1 but the average for seven years is 24.4.
The figure for 1959 caused some concern but it is apparent that this
was one of the high figures which do occasionally occur when dealing
with comparatively small populations.
The number of Cancer deaths during the year was 43 compared with
68 in 1959 and 87 in 1958. The average number of persons dying
of Cancer over the last ten years was 79.1. 1959 and 1960 figures are
well below this average but it is such a short period that no useful
deductions can be drawn.
Deaths from Cancer of the Lung are also less than the previous
year but are only slightly below the average for this district which
is 19.7.
There have been no deaths from Tuberculosis this year which is the
first time that this has occurred for a very considerable period. The
deaths from Tuberculosis have been falling for some time and it is
apparent that Tuberculosis is one of the diseases which is being
eradicated.
This year there were 6 deaths from Leukaemia of which 2 were in
children under five years. Over the last ten years there have been only
17 deaths from this disease. It is possible that this increase is only
incidental but the deaths from this disease require watching closely
over the next few years.
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